


Long Way to You

by kiezen



Category: NU'EST
Genre: 2hyun shy gays, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops and Cafes, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Meeting, Fluff, M/M, Painter!Minhyun, dongho isn't actually mentioned but he's There, gay little jr, minki is that One friend, panic gay jonghyun, so true minhyun, they're very flirty for some reason, very talented minhyun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:41:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27879269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiezen/pseuds/kiezen
Summary: Unfortunately for Jonghyun, he had to walk through the longer way to his apartment after an accident happened along the shortcut he usually walked through. He finds a newly opened café that displayed paintings and somehow his feet unknowingly led him to the longer path despite the shortcut being opened again. But he might've fallen in love with the painter after seeing him paint a canvas.
Relationships: Hwang Minhyun & Kim Jonghyun | JR, Hwang Minhyun/Kim Jonghyun | JR
Comments: 1
Kudos: 31





	Long Way to You

**Author's Note:**

> this was inspired by a tumblr prompt i saw a few days ago, but i changed up some things. i finished this earlier than expected, haha. i also did Not proofread this it's 1 am and i probably need sleep. it's been a while since i've written (finished) a fic because i've been soooo caught up with school and with my mental health deteriorating i couldn't find the energy to write. i'm glad i got to finish writing this~

Jonghyun never really enjoyed taking long walks until he took a different path home and passed by a simple café that had paintings displayed behind its big windows. The road where he would usually walked to his apartment was closed off as an accident happened. His neighbor Mingi had told him a few weeks ago a new route which leads to their apartment. Unfortunately, it was a too long walk for Jonghyun as he tried it a few days after Mingi told him about it. Walking for too long tires him even more since he was already exhausted from staring at his computer and sitting down for eight hours at work.

He was sure that he got an eyestrain, but he felt like the pain in his eyes went away as soon as he saw the pastel flower paintings displayed behind the windows of the newly-opened café. This café wasn't opened when he first walked by this route; he only remembered the building being newly finished. He stopped walking and stared at the two canvases filled in paint in front of him. Jonghyun would love to find out whoever painted these beautiful paintings. The paintings radiated such calming and gentle energy that surprisingly eased his worries and exhaustion.

Jonghyun shakes his head in attempt to wake himself up, since he still had to walk long. He wasn't even closed to his apartment yet.

The second time he passes by the Vvith Café (he discovered the name through Mingi, once again) was a complete accident. A stray dog took away his cap when he dropped it by accident. He chased the dog until he became friendly with it which made the dog drop his cap. Once the dog left him alone, he was in front of the café again. But this time, new paintings were displahed upfront. The former two flower themed paintings were now replaced with a big realistic painting of a sunset. Jonghyun absolutely loved the details for this one. Even the buildings that were jusy silhouettes looked so real to him.

He never really had the time to walk inside the café because he still had to finish some things up at home. In reality, Jonghyun is just afraid to walk inside. He doesn't know the reason why, but he feels reluctant at the thought of walking inside the café and possibly asking who painted the beautiful artworks displayed.

He constantly walked the same path every day ever since he found out the paintings changed almost daily. He was sure that the owner of the café has seen him pass by to look at the paintings every single day. Just the thought of it embarrasses him. Jonghyun promised to not pass by the café again, but his feet still somehow end up in front of it. It was like out of habit. And it became a daily routine of his. Walking to the bus station to work using the shortcut then waking through the longer way after he dropped off the bus from work.

Today is that one day where he got out from work a bit late at night because of some unexpected meetings. The place was surprisingly well-lit despite the clouds covering the moon since it was said that there would be rain this night. But, the café was still open as there was a bright light ahead of him. As he was reaching the café, he stopped himself from walking further when he saw the man— who was probably behind the paintings that were displayed on the café— painting from the inside of the cafe. Just behind where the two painted canvases where placed. 

He felt like fainting looking at the man's angelic features. Jonghyun was certain that a man like him does not actually exist and he's just dreaming. Suddenly, the painter started singing, proving that his thoughts were wrong and that this painter is a real, living human being. Jonghyun watched the man's hand movements as his gentle hand painted the canvas. He was singing a song that Jonghyun recognized, but not to the extent that he knew the song very well. It was a song that Mingi and his friend Aron would sing to late at night causing him to fail focusing on his games because Aron's voice kept on cracking. But listening to the painter sing was a whole new level. He was probably better than the original singer (Jonghyun shakes his head at that thought).

He would might have been noticed by the painter (or singer or whatever that talented man actually is) if droplets of rain didn't drop from the sky. He mumbled curses as he forgot to bring an umbrella and thinks of making a run for it; unfortunately, he was still far away from his home. He thought of staying inside the café until the rain would stop, but the thought of him being in the same room as the talented man makes his heart race like crazy. He absolutely does not know why.

"Jonghyun?! Is that you?!" Jonghyun recognized the familiar scream and looked behind him to see Mingi and Aron holding their own umbrellas and quickly approached him.

"Were you staring at that guy for a long time?" Aron stretched his arm, so Jonghyun was shaded from the rain. The younger man's cheeks flushed red and violently shaked his head in denial.

"No, I wasn't!" Jonghyun yelled aloud, making Mingi laugh a bit louder than the rain.

"I never saw you act like that!" Mingi slaps Jonghyun's shoulder that made the other glare at him.

Aron sighed at the thought of dealing with Jonghyun and Mingi (playfully) fighting again and gently pushed both of them. "Come on, let's walk faster. Jonghyun, we both some ramen. You are required to eat with us at Mingi's place." He playfully ordered, but stared oddly at Jonghyun when he looked back at the painter— who made eye contact with him.

"Oh my, God! Jonghyun!" Mingi squealed and slapped his poor friend's shoulder.

Jonghyun was still flustered at the painter looking into his eyes then yelled, "Can you stop that!?" While his cheeks and ears were both red. Mingi smiled cheekily as he kept on teasing Jonghyun non-stop.

***

Jonghyun doesn't walk through that path after a week. Firstly, his boss made him do a lot of work after several of his coworkers resigned which he needed to arrive home early to finish it and secondly, he was too embarrassed after meeting eyes with the painter. Mingi kept on talking about that incident even when he was doing his shift at work when Jonghyun came to eat lunch at the fast food chain restaurant the younger worked at. Thankfully for the older, he got back at teasing when Mingi forgot the order of a man because he kept on staring at him.

He walked to the restaurant where his best friend worked at and ordered burger and fries for lunch. It was surprisingly packed today. There was almost no space for someone to sit on. Fortunately, a couple just left their table and Jonghyun immediately sat down. His number was called, so he left his cap on the table for people to hopefully know that someone occupies the table. He fetched his orders and quickly returned, only to almost drop his food as he saw someone seating on the chair. It was not just someone though. 

The painter seemed to notice Jonghyun staring at him and immediately stood up. "I'm sorry, do you sit here?" He asked a bit loudly since so many voices were overlapping from the amount of customers today.

Jonghyun felt like everything stopped. His heart was racing like he ran up the stairs from the first floor to the second floor of his office. He was sure that his ears turned red out of embarrassment of encountering the painter. He doesn't know nor understand why he was acting like this. It was the first time he was being so... Nervous? Frightened? He never really knew. 

"Y-yeah, I did— I mean, do," Jonghyun stuttered, cursing inwardly at his nervous antics. He scanned the area to look for his cap, but he couldn't seem to find it anymore. "Was there a cap placed on the table when you sat down?" He asked in one breath. He doesn't understand why he's so nervous.

"There wasn't one, as far as I can remember." The painter replied. "Why? You placed a cap here?"

Jonghyun scoffed. "Why is everyone stealing these days.." He mumbled, but was loud enough for the taller to hear.

"Oh, no. I'm sorry for that." Jonghyun immediately shakes his head in response to the other's apology.

"No need to apologize." He said, still shaking his head making the man laugh softly. Jonghyun felt like his heart was about to combust. 

"Ah, you should sit down." The painter offered. "Besides, I recognize you, anyway." He playfully smiled.

Jonghyun's mouth opened involuntarily. "You— What?!" He blurted out of shock. Has he been seeing him stare at his lovely paintings every day?!

The man held in his laugh. The corner of his lips turned upwards, but his lips didn't part. "Yes, I did see you stare lovingly at my displayed paintings occasionally." He teased, and continued to stare at Jonghyun despite him looking away. "My name is Minhyun, by the way. Take a seat." He reached out his hand then Jonghyun hesitantly shook Minhyun's hand as he sat down.

"I'm Jonghyun." He said while he released his hand from holding the other. Minhyun's hand was soft like a baby. Somehow, he never wanted to let go of it.

It became awfully silent (and a bit awkward) from them after their quick introduction. As Jonghyun took a bite from his burger, Minhyun stood up after a staff called out his number. He bowed his head slightly then stared at Jonghyun's eyes.

"I have to go after I get my order." He explained, still looking at the other's eyes as if he was the only one in the room. "So... I guess see you soon, Jonghyun?"

Jonghyun nodded as a reply because there were chewed pieces of a burger inside his mouth. "Yeah, see you." He managed to let out as his lips curved upwards. Minhyun grinned then waved goodbye and walked to the cashier. Jonghyun stared at the taller's figure as he slowly walked away from him. He felt his cheeks heat up while he remembered their short face-to-face encounter with each other.

Is this what falling in love feels like? 

Jonghyun was in front of Vvith Café. Again.

But this time, he arrived earlier than usual. There wasn't that much papers to work on since he finished most of them yesterday, so his boss let him leave early for today. And now, he's at Minhyun's café, staring at a colorful fox watercolor painting that had Minhyun's signature on the bottom right. He is, once again, in awe with his painting.

"You can come inside to take a better look at it, you know." Jonghyun jumped at the sound of Minhyun suddenly speaking. The taller man laughed at the other being shocked which made Jonghyun giggle at him. "Do you want to eat anything?" Minhyun asked, but he shook his head as a reply.

Minhyun opened the door for Jonghyun then he walked inside the pastel colored café. Jonghyun never realized how it was much prettier inside than how pretty it was outside. He entered the café to see the cashier a few meters ahead of him and artificial vines hanging from the order sign above of it. There were flowers in pots placed around the café and paintings (made by Minhyun) displayed on the wall opposite the cashier. Mostly tables filled the first floor that had splattered paint as the design of the table cloth. 

"Your café is pretty," Jonghyun blurted.

"Really?" Minhyun eagerly turned his head to look at Jonghyun and the shorter male hummed in response. Jonghyun looked back at Minhyun to see his eyes turn into a crescent as he smiled from ear to ear. "Someone told me I overdid it."

"Hm?" His voice hinting confusion on what Minhyun just said as he replied. "Well, they're wrong. This café is minimalistic. Plus, your paintings and design go well along with the plants in the room." He babbled, resulting Minhyun to smile even wider than before. 

"Thanks, Jonghyun— Oh! Watch out!" Minhyun gripped the other's shoulder and pulled him near his chest as Jonghyun almost hit the vine that was hanging from the top of the ceiling. "I think I should fix this one." Minhyun remarked, staring at the hanging vine. 

Jonghyun quickly forgot about almost hitting the vine as his thoughts were suddenly filled with Minhyun (still) gripping his shoulder and saving him. As he stood, his heart beated like a drum being constantly hit. He felt the warmth of the hand abruptly leave his shoulder and turned to look up at the taller one. 

"Did it hurt?" Minhyun asked, his eyes filled with worry.

He quickly shook his head as a response. "No," his lips curved into a soft smile. "Thanks, by the way." 

Minhyun smiled back, but the both of them jumped at the sound of the rain pouring loudly. They didn't expected for it to suddenly rain since it was hot and sunny earlier. Perhaps this is the effect of Global Warming. 

"Well, I doubt that you would be able to walk back home, so..." He hesitantly spoke, but Jonghyun slowly nodded his head to ease him. "Would you like to come upstairs?" Minhyun asked, shocking Jonghyun a bit, yet it made him smile. 

"I don't mind," Jonghyun replied as he followed Minhyun— who led him to the stairs. "Do you usually bring people up here?" He asked while he gaped at the minimalistic paintings displayed on the wall. He adored the decorations on the railings too; very floral.

Minhyun stopped walking on the last stepped and turned around to look at Jonghyun. "No. But you're cute, so you can come up here." He confessed then winked at him, making his own ears turn red. Jonghyun froze and felt heat rise up to his cheeks. He unknowingly stared at the place where Minhyun was formerly standing, but got back to his senses once he heard him cackle. He quickly walked up the stairs to the second floor, with his face still red in embarrassment. 

The second floor was much more vacant than the first, but it was mostly filled with paintings— some on a stand, most on each side of the wall which made it radiate like he was inside a museum gallery. There were only a few tables on the side of the room. But, the room still looked pleasing to the eyes.

"Did I put too many paintings?" Minhyun asked as he observed the room. 

"No, you didn't," He replied immediately, surprisingly Minhyun. "Your paintings are pretty like you, and it's nice to see too." Jonghyun added then smirked as soon as he saw Minhyun's cheeks flushed. 

"Y-you... What?" The painter uttered in surprise, his fingers motioning to himself then to Jonghyun which made him giggle.

"I said, 'You're pretty'. Is that what you wanted to hear?" Jonghyun teased, grinning even wider as he saw Minhyun's face in red. 

"You're such a flirt. We literally just met." Minhyun jokingly complained while he softly pushed the shorter. Jonghyun smiled from ear to ear then laid his eyes on the biggest canvas displayed. 

"That's the one I was working on when you were with your friends." Minhyun pointed out. "You know, you could've gone inside instead of watching me from afar." He snickered. 

Jonghyun scoffed. A memory of him seeing Minhyun paint that time came back to his mind, "You have a nice singing voice." He complimented him making Minhyun's eyes widen in shock. 

"You heard me sing?!" He asked, his face full of shock and surprise. Jonghyun nodded and complimented his vocals again. Minhyun shyly thanked him then stared back at his painting. 

Jonghyun looked at the big windows on the front. It doesn't look like the rain would stop any time sooner. "The rain's not stopping," he said as the rain started to pour even harder. He turned around to see Minhyun staring at him (again), so he looked at him, confused. 

"Well, with that said," Minhyun started, walking a bit closer to Jonghyun, "Would you like to watch me paint in a better view?"

**Author's Note:**

> have a great day ~


End file.
